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Tuesday, September 26, 2006

As of today, Jo is no longer "dd8." She is now "dd9," which somehow seems so ...big!

Nine years ago, I held 10 lbs. and 2 ounces of black-headed baby girl in my arms and wondered who in the world thought I was qualified enough to parent this unbelievable gift. She was--and is-- the most amazing lesson the Lord has ever given me; I have learned more about Him--and myself--in my years of being Jo's mother than in the 23 years that came before.

Thank you for letting me be your mother, Jo. Welcome to the last year of single digits!

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Birthdays come in batches in our house; Atticus and Logan celebrate theirs in a three-day time span, and Jo's falls just after dh's. We're currently gearing up to fete the birthday girl with her very first slumber party.

I had a slumber party once. My parents wre not really big on birthdays in general, so to have a party was a huge deal to me. I made out the invitations myself and my mom had no idea how many girls to expect. Imagine her surprise when 16 of my closest friends called to RSVP! Needless to say, the list was whittled down a bit (to this day I have no idea how she revoked those invitations) and the party went off with only a few minor hitches. The biggest glitch was the sheer lack of anything to do. Left to our own devices, the whole gaggle of 5th grade girls at my party ended up prank calling people all night.

Hey, I never said I was a good kid.

Not wanting to repeat the same mistake with Jo's birthday bash, I've lined up a variety of hopefully enthralling but not-too-structured activities. There are 7 girls--most of them homeschooled--on list. Tomorrow night, we'll be making fleece scarves with fringe, they'll be in charge of rolling out and fashioning their own mini-pizza for dinner, and I've got a movie lined up that corresponds with the horse theme. (Yes, the scarves are horsey, too. They have a horse print on the fleece!) I've even got reinforcements coming in to keep the crafts rolling and the popcorn coming in the form of my best friend J. (Hey, if Jo can have an evening with her girlfriends, I can, too, right? ;-0)

Jo is beside herself with excitement. She realized at the craft store this morning that tomorrow is the big day, and you should have seen the grin on her face. I figure that with that kind of anticipation, the day just can't be a flop.

Thursday, September 7, 2006

Is it just me, or is teaching a child to read about the coolest thing you can do?

Both Jo and Atticus caught the reading bug early and are well above "grade-level" (the public school gold standard for achievement, right?) when it comes to their reading and comprehension skills. I naturally assumed that I'd have at least one dc who wasn't as eager to pick up a book ... but, no. Logan is just as ambitious when it comes to the written word.

He is now reading simple things like "That rat is mad! Scat, rat! Scat to the mat!" and other insipid phonics-based stuff. And while I thought that somehow my enthusiasm for teaching sounds and sitting through those awful readers would have waned by the third go-round, well--it hasn't. Teaching a child to read is one of the joys of my life. Watching that lightbulb go on, seeing that spark as they swing the door open on a whole new world ...

It's better than chocolate. Better than lots of chocolate. And that's saying a lot.

Monday, September 4, 2006

I am still just dumbfounded at how easy school has been! I'm not sure that any one thing has made the difference--more likely, it's been a series of things coming together to make my life that much easier. In any event, I am praising God for this newfound joy in homeschooling.

Once again, school took us all of 3 and a half hours. When I look at the list of things we got done today, I am amazed.

Logan worked on his Rod and Staff preschool book today, cutting out mother and baby animals and coloring them to make a barn scene. When he tired of this, he moved on to the big blocks his daddy made him from leftover 2x4s, constructing a fabulous barn and yard. Later he dabbled in bristle blocks, before moving on to diggers & rice--an old favorite resurrected when he discovered the tiny vehicles this morning. He also did a lesson in 100EZ, but he was far more interested in playing quietly. You know ... I didn't complain! ;-)

So, 3 and a half hours. Not bad. Not bad at all! Now on to reading a little more "Peter and the Shadowcatchers" and playing in the sun!